KARACHI, April 19 A network of surveillance cameras being installed at 40 select traffic signals in different parts of the city will be able to record traffic violations by the middle of the current year, it has been learnt. The cameras will have the capability to focus on the registration plate of the vehicle.

Although the surveillance cameras are meant for traffic management, they will have multi-purpose applications such as general surveillance, including that of street crime and VIP movements, officials associated with the e-policing project of the information technology department of the Sindh government told Dawn.

In case of traffic management, these cameras would work as the eyes of the authorities concerned and in situations of potential traffic jams, the situation could be eased by diverting traffic away from the trouble spot by the e-policing directorate being set up in the Central Police Office.

The project is nearing completion at a time when the Sindh police's plan to install surveillance cameras has hit snags due to the reported consumption of some portion of the allocated funds in purchasing vehicles for police.

The surveillance project is part of three major components of the e-policing project, including 15 call centres and e-driving licence.

Under the e-policing project, police stations are being computerised and all police stations have been provided with computers. The project has a price tag of Rs944 million with 2011 as the deadline for its completion.

The provincial minister for information technology, Raza Haroon, told Dawn that work on the surveillance cameras' installation at major traffic intersections would be completed by the end of May.

In Traffic Zone I, there are 17 traffic sections where cameras are being installed. In the Garden traffic section, the cameras will be installed at the Capri light signal (Sea Breeze Plaza), Nabi Bux traffic section at the Tibet Centre signal and Eidgah light signal (Dilpasand Sweets), Mithadar traffic section at Baba-i-Urdu signal (DMC College) and Denso Hall signal.

In Kharadar traffic section at Merewether Tower, at the PIDC traffic section at the PIDC intersection and Club Road Chowk signals, in Cantt traffic section at Mehran signal and Regent Light signal, in Saddar traffic section at FTC bridge, in City traffic section at Shaheen Complex, in Frere traffic section at the Teen Talwar roundabout, Do Talwar roundabout, Clifton Helipad, Bilawal Chowrangi and Boat Basin chowrangi.

In Traffic Zone II, there are eight traffic sections, which include Mazar-i-Quaid traffic section at Numaish Chowrangi, Soldier Bazaar traffic section at Lasbela Chowk, Nazimabad traffic section at Nazimabad No 1 signal, North Nazimabad traffic section at Board Office signal and at Five Star Chowrangi, New Town traffic section at Jail Chowrangi, Aziz Bhatti traffic section at Hasan Square and at NIPA intersection at Gulshan-i-Iqbal traffic section.

In Traffic Zone III, nine traffic sections including Mehmoodabad signal and Tipu Sultan signal in the Ferozeabad traffic section, Karsaz and Baloch Colony bridge in Tipu Sultan traffic section, Drigh Road signal in Sharea Faisal traffic section, Star Gate signal in Airport Extension traffic section, Madam light signal at Airport JTC traffic section, Quaidabad Chowk and Dawood Chowrangi at Quaidabad and Landhi Industrial Area traffic sections, respectively.

In Traffic Zone IV, six traffic sections including Jinnah Bridge in Jackson traffic section, ICI Chowk in Baghdadi traffic section, Mirza Adam Khan Chowk in Shershah traffic section, Paracha Chowk in Shaheed Khizar Hayat traffic section at Ghani Chowrangi and Habib Bank Chowrangi in SITE and Pak Colony traffic sections, respectively.

E-driving licence

As part of the automation of the driving licence branch of the police, 55 traffic sections have been identified by the traffic police out of the total of 68 traffic sections of the city where personal digital assistant (PDA) hand-held devices would be provided.

The hand-held devices would be able to read the driving licence to verify the licence and could detect fake driving licences. However, it would be ineffective for licences issued by the rest of the three provinces.

The PDA devices would be similar to credit card machines. Once the new white colour licence currently being issued is swiped through the device, it will read all the data of the licence-holder, officials said.

Similarly, the number of violations would be added to the data and through a random swipe of the driving licence, the history of all violations of the motorist would be detected on the spot.

Officials pointed out that driving licences currently issued by the driving licence branch were electronic cards which have complete data of the licence holder.

However, there is no integration between different offices of the traffic police of the city. At the moment, the three driving licence branches of Korangi, Nazimabad and Clifton have separate records with no integration. Officials said that the existing record would be transferred and digitised and would be available at all traffic sections in addition to the PDA-equipped sections.

The Sindh IT minister said that by the end of June the major chunk of work of the remaining components of 15 call centres, and automation of the driving licence branch would be completed.

A floor in the Central Police Office has been assigned where the 15 call centres would be set up. Installation of equipment would begin in a month or two. He added that the police authorities would hand over two floors where the e-policing directorate would be set up.

The minister dispelled the impression that the government was facing any kind of funds shortage, saying that the entire project would be completed within the stipulated deadline and the budget.